


I Need You To Know (I'm Not Asking For A Miracle)

by ViciousInnocence



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Bittersweet, Confessions, M/M, Short, inb4 WAR novel, please read author's notes, thought it was cute might delete later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 02:19:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18561958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViciousInnocence/pseuds/ViciousInnocence
Summary: after Bola's defeat there are celebrations and Ral is cornered by the person he'd hoped to avoidbased around my own headcanons (touched on in "Storm Caller") that Jace and Ral were dating between Project Lightning Bug and Kaladesh - they haven't seen each other since.





	I Need You To Know (I'm Not Asking For A Miracle)

**Author's Note:**

> this is literally so rushed, wrote it in 3 hours so it's not-beta'd and probably full of mistakes I just wanted to get it out before WAR comes and changes all the canon. I HAVE NO FREE TIME. YEET THIS FIC.

Ravnica finally lies still in its destruction.

Buildings and bodies alike remaining smashed in the street, lit dimly in the late evening sunset.

Above them, Ral stands on the balcony of the Izzet graduation hall rooftop. He’d done his rounds downstairs, taking the congratulations and complementary drinks around the room until he felt like he needed some air. The courtyard downstairs was just as crowded as the inner hall and Ral’s scrambled brain had been disappointed until he remembered there was somewhere else he could escape to that few other people could find.  

The muffled sounds of the music and celebrations on the floor below bleed through to the roof.

Ral had only been up there for what felt like ten minutes when he heard the stair door opening, the music and laughter louder for a second before it swung shut.

For a second he thinks it might be Tomik, also exhausted from the drunken revels downstairs.

“Hey.”

Ral turns at the sound of the familiar voice, to see Jace himself approaching from the stairs. Of course the mind mage would have known where to find him.

His heart twists painfully in the other man’s presence, he knew Jace would be here, but he’d been careful to avoid bumping into him thus far.

He hasn’t seen Jace since the night at the carnarium. It feels like it’s been years and seconds apart at the same time.

Jace is a little dirty and his clothes are scuffed after the events of the past few days but otherwise, physically, he looks no different at all.

Ral’s not really sure what he expected. It has just been so long and so much has changed since then he supposed Jace might have changed too.

“Hey.”

He replies coolly, finally noticing Jace holds two drinks in either hand, clear sparkling wine in long-necked crystal glasses.

As Jace extends his arm, Ral realises one is intended for him.

He shakes his head and moves a hand off the railings to hold up a palm in refusal.

“Ral.”

Jace’s voice is firm and his expression is unreadable, but without even brushing Ral’s mind he seems to know exactly what he’s thinking.

Jace offers the glass again,

“For the one’s who cannot.”

With his absence Ral had forgotten the bond they shared between them. Of course Jace would know that's why he came up here. Ral eyes the glass carefully before accepting it with a nod, taking a short sip and turning back to face the city. Jace moves to the railings and Ral bristles when he feels him sleepily nestling into his side, but soon Ral relaxes against him too.

“You’d make a strong addition to the Gatewatch you know.”

Ral laughs at that. He can’t help it, he had expected an emotional grilling, not the concept of leaving the plane, or getting involved in anything similar to this again - which right now, was hilarious.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” he sips from the glass again, the rustle of clothing nearby telling him Jace is doing the same.

“Well, I can’t force you,” Jace says and Ral can see the gentle smile on his face without even looking.

The music breaks into a new song on the floor below and everyone cheers as they recognise the popular slow ballad.

With Jace's close proximity there's a bittersweet feeling growing in Ral's chest as the violin and female vocals sound out over the top of the crowd singing along.

“I owe you an apology.”

At that Ral quirks an eyebrow and turns to Jace.

Jace’s blue eyes remain staring out over the balcony, gaze hovering over sights below.

“I never should have left.”

There’s an unspoken ‘ _you_ ’ at the end of that sentence but it’s out of place given the time between now and the years past when it could have meant something.

Ral pushes past it, taking in the tinge of sadness at the other’s mournful expression – a reminder that Ravnica is Jace’s home too.

He tracks the other’s gaze to where he’s looking – where Sunhome used to stand proudly. Now it was nought but rubble, burnt down in ferocity by the angels who had sworn to protect it from falling into enemy hands – even if that meant reducing it to dust.

It hurts to look at, despite being loyal to Izzet alone.

Still, Ral’s lip twitches with a half-smile as he considers his reply;

“I knew you’d come back anyway.”

He hears Jace’s soft laughter to his right.

“You’ve got a line for everything, don’t you?”

Ral shrugs and takes a long drink from the glass he’s holding – though he’s unable to take the smug expression from his face.

There was a time where he’d strive to make Jace laugh like that and it would make his heart race like he was the luckiest man in the world to listen to it. It’s nice now to enjoy it simply for what it is.

He hears an intake of breath and then a pause from Jace beside him.

Ral glances down to see a conflicted expression as Jace stares into the glass of wine – as if that held an answer to the thoughts in his mind.

“Seriously Ral,” he watches Jace nip at his lower lip with his teeth before he continues,

“I’m sorry.”

A heartbeat.

“For taking the guildpact and leaving Ravnica, for leaving you – for everything.”

Ral blinks as he takes this in.

He never knew Jace felt this way, yet clearly it had been weighing on his mind for quite some time.

Again he finds himself sent back to the street outside the carnarium. Jace planeswalks away with Liliana and a feeling like no other strikes through him.

Jace had ruined him for months. Each day was like a new betrayal, a fresh knife in his chest at the realisation that Jace wasn't coming back - at least not for him. It felt like drowning, treading water without hope of ever finding land. Until he met Tomik and an elder dragon crash landed into his life, forcing him to change and to grow.

He’d been so bitter and twisted over Jace for what felt like so long before that, Ral didn’t realise that somewhere along the line after Tomik all the bad blood had faded away.

“It’s fine.”

He hears himself speaking – wonders if Jace even knows about Tomik yet. Wonders if Jace is still single- if telling him about his advokist might come across as spiteful.

The simple confession is enough to cause Jace to turn to him at last, an amalgamation of trepidation and shock on his face. It’s enough for Ral to feel guilty about his casual dismissal of an apology which clearly still held much emotional weight for Jace.

“What I mean is…it’s long overdue,” he ventures,

“and I hated you for leaving, for a long, long time – you made me feel lower than I’ve ever felt before.”

He feels the bite of vulnerability at that, but continues nonetheless as Jace’s eyes remain locked on his own.

Ral realises he hasn’t been this close to him since the day he walked from Ravnica. He's close enough to see the white facial tattoos curling into his skin and the soft pink of lips he used to kiss. His mouth suddenly feels dry as he realises that Jace used to look at him the exact same way back then too.

His eyes are an open book and Ral realises he was a fool for hating Jace when he so clearly held a piece of his heart in the palm of his hand.

“I didn’t know if I would ever see you again.”

As the words leave his mouth, he feels the weight behind them, can see in Jace’s eyes that he does too.

There's still clearly something between them, despite how much the two of them and the worlds have changed.

He doesn't love Tomik any less when he reaches out for Jace, because fuck it they almost died and fuck it he owes himself this much at least.

Jace flinches as he tracks Ral's movement, but doesn't move away. Ral's fingertips brush the other’s skin as Jace’s own hand shoots up and locks around his wrist. Ral freezes up, searching Jace’s eyes for any signs that he should stop, but the hand at his wrist holds onto him and doesn’t push him away either.

He feels hot air on his wrist from the sharp breath Jace takes at the contact of his thumb stroking along his jawline.

“And honestly Jace, that was the worst fucking part, I swear.”

**Author's Note:**

> pls let me know your thoughts x (i might delete it later - or I might re-edit it after I've read the novel idk)
> 
> I think I wanted to write this almost as a personal thing to help my mind transition from Zeleren to Tomik/Ral (idk name yet) bc let's be honest it did quite literally happen overnight. idk if I will stop shipping zeleren until I know more about Tomik's character so I wanted to leave the end of this fic open in terms of relationships if I decide to continue my mtg headcanons here c:


End file.
